Day 11: The Joy of the Lord is Your Strength, Part 1

SAY YOUR OWN OPENING PRAYER

Fellow travelers on this road of life and faith, I am writing a very personal prayer today. Therefore, if you are going through a similar thing, claim it as yours. If not, please, pray your own prayer. Write it in your prayer journal.

OPENING PRAYER ABOUT A LIFE CHALLENGE

Lord, You know everything on my heart right now, which is plenty. Thank You for always being here, even when I wander and am stubborn. Thank You for Your grace all day and night long. I know I sure need it. Thank You for getting me through a life challenge, which I am still in the middle of. I know I am only going to get through it with you, as You give me strength and as I cling to You and Your Word. In Christ alone.

HOW CAN THE JOY OF THE LORD BE OUR STRENGTH?

It’s rather ironic. (Actually, it’s God’s providence and hand.) This topic has been planned for me to write for several days now. God has put me in the perfect place to write this. I’m not in a peachy, life-is-so-wonderful, frame of mind. That’s for sure. I’m going through a life challenge. It’s a doozy. I’m heavy in spirit, but not sad. Just heavy.

My husband and I have a fourteen year-old Beagle named Zack. For you dog or animal lovers out there, I am sure I do not need to continue. But, I will.

He’s getting up there in years. He’s been such a faithful companion. The best dog ever. He has the sweetest personality and loves people, smelling things, sleeping, and food. It depends on the day as to his priority order.

Zack has doggie dementia. So, he’s on medicine and it is mostly controlled. But, he has his bad days and/or nights. He darts. That’s the best way to describe it. He also forgets his name and his commands. But, he sure still loves to be loved. He may not know who we are at the time, when he has one of his spells, but he sure trusts us still.

But, last night, it wasn’t his dementia that kept my husband up all night. We got maybe two hours of sleep. He was suffering. Maybe heartburn. Not sure. So, he got extra special love from both of us. It’s just miserable watching him suffer. He still seems blah this morning, but he seems as though he can finally rest at least a little. He’s eating, drinking, doing the outside thing… I’ll keep a close eye on him today. We are going to make a vet appointment. We needed to take him in any way for some bloodwork. So…

Why do I share all of this?

It’s not to get your pity. Your prayers would sure be appreciated, though. But, there is another reason. It’s because of this:

HOW can the joy of the Lord be our strength—through good times and challenging times?

Right now, I’m fresh out of answers, but I sure know here to turn. And, that’s to the Word of God, the Holy Bible. It’s always the Answer, for He is.

Before we go there, though, allow me the privilege to share one more story with you.

I LOVE HOW GOD WORKS

You need to know I am a nut. I do some crazy things and am a little crazy. When you get to know me, you’ll agree, but it’s in an endearing way—most of the time.

I say I am a nut because this year, I have two perpetual calendars. One is of Mary Engelbreit and one is a Thomas Kincaide Bible Verse a Day calendar. Well, both apply to what hubby (whom I will call B) and I went through last night.

Mary Englebreit’s says, “Have faith.”

Amen.

The Thomas Kincaide one is of this verse:

Psalm 27:1 HCSB

The Lord is my light and my salvation—

whom should I fear?

The Lord is the stronghold of my life—

of whom should I be afraid?

-- HCSB: Scripture quotations marked HCSB are taken from the Holman Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Holman Christian Standard Bible®, Holman CSB®, and HCSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers.

Talk about a hug from God.

\Why don’t you prayer journal about that verse. Take a moment and hang out with God and absorb this verse. Don’t rush through it. Open yourself to His Word, this word, and to Him.

Again, why do I share this verse and this story? (I hope you are starting to see I say and do everything in this study very deliberately. I have my reasons. God has given them to me and it’s meant to reach you where you are—and reach me where I am for that matter.) One reason is to show God is at work. Another reason is to remind us to look for God working at all times, not just in the good, the challenging, or the indifferent times, but at all times. For, He is always working (see John 5:17-21, particularly verses 17 and 19—and prayer journal about these verses).

Now, let’s really look at how the joy of the Lord can be our strength, after we look at our memory verses.

REVIEW YOUR MEMORY VERSES

Write them in your prayer journal without peeking. No cheating. See how far you get. Then, after a couple of minutes of trying to find the words, then peek and write out the rest and make corrections as necessary.

Then, prayer journal your thoughts today, right now, on those verses.

They are: Philippians 4:4-8 and Psalm 90:12.

WHERE DO WE FIND JOY?

Yesterday, we learned something very important about joy. Do you remember what it was? Write your answer, or lack thereof, in your prayer journal and please do not read ahead until you do.

We learned what about joy yesterday? Where do we find joy?

It’s found IN THE LORD.

That is how we can make our joy in Him strength. Because He is our strength.

Let’s look at some verses which should help us know what to pray and how to pray for the next year and our new beginning.

1 Samuel 2:1 NCV

Hannah prayed:

“The Lord has filled my heart with joy;

I feel very strong in the Lord.

I can laugh at my enemies;

I am glad because you have helped me!

What a verse.

Prayer journal your thoughts.

Then prayer journal about these things:

1 What did we learn about joy?

2 What did we learn about strength?

3 How can you apply this to your life? Then, make an action plan and do it.

4 What did you say to God?

5 What did He say to you?

6 Add this to your memory verses. Find your favorite version. So, we now have: Philippians 4:4-8; Psalm 90:12; and 1 Samuel 2:1.

Now, let’s look at another version of this verse.

1 Samuel 2:1 NLT

Then Hannah prayed:

“My heart rejoices in the Lord!

The Lord has made me strong.

Now I have an answer for my enemies;

I rejoice because you rescued me.

-- NLT: Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Prayer journal your thoughts and then answer the following questions:

1 How does this version differ from the last?

2 How does this version add to your understanding of the previous version?

3 What did you say to God?

4 What did God say to you?

Let’s look at some verses which should help us know what to pray and how to pray for the next year and our new beginning. With each verse listed after this section, prayer journal these 5 things about EACH verse that follows:

1 What jumped out at you and why?

2 What did you learn from this verse?

3 What did God say to you through this verse?

4 What does this verse mean to you and your life today, this week, this month, this quarter, this year, etc.?

5 How will you apply this verse to your life from now on? Make an action plan.

Nehemiah 8:9-10 NASB

9 Then Nehemiah, who was the governor, and Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who taught the people said to all the people, “This day is holy to the Lord your God; do not mourn or weep.” For all the people were weeping when they heard the words of the law. 10 Then he said to them, “Go, eat of the fat, drink of the sweet, and send portions to him who has nothing prepared; for this day is holy to our Lord. Do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”

Prayer journal the 5 items listed previously.

Psalm 28:7 GW

7 The Lord is my strength and my shield.

My heart trusted him, so I received help.

My heart is triumphant; I give thanks to him with my song.

Prayer journal the 5 items listed previously.

PRAYER JOURNALING AND CONTEMPLATION QUESTIONS

1 What did we learn about joy today?

2 What did we learn about strength today?

3 What does this mean for us and our new year and new beginning?

Friday, January 3, 2014